Communication devices, such as portable radios, are undergoing increasing levels of miniaturization. A typical communication device usually includes an antenna used for receiving and transmitting signals. For communication devices operating in the VHF, UHF and sub-microwave radio frequency (RF) ranges, the wavelength of the radio frequency may range between 300 centimeters and 10 centimeters. The communication device requires an antenna of an appropriate length to enable reception or emission of such radio waves. For example, an antenna of simple construction would need to have a conductor having a physical length ranging between 5 and 150 centimeters to accommodate the wavelength of the above-mentioned frequency ranges. For communication devices requiring a compact packaging structure, it might be difficult to accommodate antennas of such lengths. Therefore, it is desirable to have designs which present a physically shorter antenna. There are many prior art approaches for achieving a shorter physical length antenna. These include the use of helically wound antenna elements, loop antenna elements, and other such designs of varying complexity. Oftentimes the antenna element is encased for aesthetics or physical protection, but the casing is known to reduce the performance of the antenna, such as reducing the radiation efficiency of the antenna.
One prior art approach is to coat the antenna with a high dielectric coating. High dielectric constant antenna coatings are desirable because the wavelength of the RF/Microwave radiation decreases as the dielectric constant increases. As a result, increasing the dielectric constant of an antenna reduces the antenna length and shrinks the overall antenna size. In the past, high dielectric constant coatings and substrates for antennae have been achieved through the addition of ceramic to low loss materials. Unfortunately, the addition of ceramic filler to materials such as polytetrafluoroethylene increases the stiffness of the material and reduces the flexibility. Typically, an antenna on a 2-way radio or cellular telephone should be flexible for user comfort and product longevity, so this solution is not desirable in these applications. Therefore the need exists to provide an small antenna for use with a portable communication device which provides an optimal amount of gain and low attenuation for a limited power level, while maintaining flexibility and other desirable physical attributes.